Subject Design and Development

Each new teaching session provides the opportunity to update subjects to ensure that they maintain their currency and incorporate improvements that enhance the learning experience for students.

One key activity that needs to be undertaken in order to prepare for a teaching session relates to the review and update of the subject documents and subject learning resources. The review of these documents and resources should take into account feedback from all staff responsible for the delivery of the subject, including those located at partner and offshore campuses.

The subject documents

The subject template, subject outline and learning guide comprise the official subject documents. Together, these documents communicate the Subject Coordinator’s plan and vision for how the subject will be delivered. These are binding documents and are essentially a contract between the University and students that describe what is taught in the subject and how it will be assessed. As such:

The subject outline and learning guide must be consistent with the content of the subject template approved by the School Academic Committee.
The documents must be reviewed and updated in accordance with both University and School of Computer, Data and Mathematical Sciences requirements.

The subject template

The subject proposal and variation form (Form D23) (the subject template) outlines the framework of a subject. Details regarding outcomes, assessment, content, subject descriptions, modes of delivery etc. are all recorded on this document.

The learning guide

Learning guide preparation occurs for all course work subjects. Where a subject is delivered to students in an offshore location or at a third party provider, learning guides are also required to be prepared so that the curriculum is internationalised and inclusive.

What needs to be included?

Learning guides are a combination of generic information (e.g. plagiarism, referencing) and subject specific content:

The generic sections will be updated, if required, by the Education and Program Support team prior to sending the guide to the Subject Coordinator.
The subject-specific content – and the work required to prepare it – will vary depending on the type of subject, whether new learning methods are being introduced and developments in the course to which the subject belongs.

Updating the subject documents

At a minimum, the Subject Coordinator will update the learning guide to reflect changes within the discipline area, revise assessment tasks to reduce opportunities for plagiarism, and respond to Student Feedback on Subject (SFU) and Student Feedback on Teaching (SFT) (if available).

Subject Coordinators may also be looking to incorporate new approaches to delivering the subject, such as engagement opportunities and teaching methods that accommodate different learning styles.

As part of the update, consider the subject’s role in the structured learning sequence for the course. The course context may determine aspects of the assessment activities, student skills development or graduate attributes development.

Updates to learning guides

The content of the learning guide and subject outline must correspond to the approved subject template. The learning guide needs to be publicly available one week prior to the commencement of each session in which the subject is taught, through the Library’s electronic repository and on vUWS. Master copies are held by the EPS team and can also be found on the Library website and in TRIM (the University’s record information system).

The process to update the learning guide is outlined below.

Login to https://lgms.westernsydney.edu.au/ using your WSU credentials.
Select the learning guide to update.
Provide all of the required information and submit.

The learning guide will then be sent to the DAP for approval. If any changes are required the learning guide will be sent back to the coordinator to make the changes. Once approved the Subject Coordinator will be notified and the learning guide will be sent to the Library.

The Subject Coordinator must ensure that students are aware of and able to access the learning guide within vUWS one week prior to the teaching period.

Changes during the teaching period

Once a learning guide is approved, it cannot be changed during the teaching session. If any changes occur that affect the information provided in the learning guide, students should be advised in class, on vUWS and by email.

Updates to subject templates

Any proposed change to the information in the subject template will require a subject ‘variation’ in order for the corresponding change to be considered for approval before changes are made to the subject outline and learning guide.

The process to have a subject variation endorsed and approved is lengthy. It is therefore recommended that subject variations are initiated well in advance of the teaching session for which the change is to take effect. Subject Coordinators should discuss any proposed changes with their Director, Academic Programs in the first instance.

Contact the Course Quality Officer to confirm the process and timelines for changes or variations to subject information.

Examples of updates which may be made at the discretion of the Subject Coordinator:

Change to the assessment question or details of the assessment.
Change to the order of topics or content.
Change to the reading list and journals, references, websites.
New textbook (as long as it is approved by the Deputy Dean and the Director, Academic Program and other academic teaching the subject).

Examples of changes requiring a subject variation:

Subject title change (other than typographical errors).
Credit points of the subject.
Learning outcomes.
Weighting of assessment tasks.
Assessment type, e.g. change a written report to an oral exam.
Change to content.

Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)

The AQF provides the standards for Australian qualifications and it underpins national regulatory and quality assurance. It is an integrated policy that states (amongst other things) the:

learning outcomes for each degree level and qualification type; and
specifications for the application of the AQF in the accreditation and development of qualifications.

Each subject needs to state in the learning guide how the particular subject learning outcomes help to develop the course learning outcomes. In addition, each learning guide should indicate how the assessment contributes to the overall assessment of the course learning outcomes.

If your subject is responsible for assessing any of the course learning outcomes, please be aware that you may need to collect student assessments and additional data for reporting purposes. The Quality and Accreditation team will advise you if this is necessary and how this is to be done.

Subject learning resources

Asynchronous online activities and online lectures (lecture pods, screen captures with voice-over etc.) will increasingly constitute the primary form of subject delivery as most teaching will be delivered on-campus in blended format. These primary delivery modes will be supplemented by face-to-face tutorials or additional online activities that provide opportunities for enrichment, clarification and elaboration.

The School also delivers a number of fully online courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as offering subjects delivered off-shore and on-shore at our Sydney City Campus (SCC).

As such, Subject Coordinators need to produce subject learning resources to accommodate these delivery modes.

Online learning resources

The design of essential learning resources should be learner-centred and fit for purpose. Copyright requirements must be taken into account to minimise the risk of copyright infringement.

Learning resources, which can be created and curated, include (but are not limited to):

Online lectures (e.g. lecture pods, screen captures with voice-over, narrated slideshow)
Interactive learning objects
Open education resources
Adaptive / responsive learning activities
Simulated online learning environment

It is expected that the production (and revision) of most of the essential learning resources will be completed prior to the commencement of a teaching period and meet copyright requirements.

In addition, Subject Coordinators are encouraged to produce just-in-time learning resources, which aim to enhance the currency and relevancy of the subject teaching with what is happening outside the classroom, and / or other associated online resources, which aim to assist students in preparing for assessments.

These resources can be produced ‘on-the-go’ during a teaching period.

Lesson plans

Each weekly classroom session should be planned to the degree that all students can have an equitable, coherent and consistent opportunity to interact with their peers and the content of the weekly lesson. The lesson plans should be transparent and available to both tutors and students so that all participants can understand what is expected for each week, prepare properly, and thus contribute to the overall success of the session.

Lesson plans should indicate or include links to the content under study for the week. They should include activities for interacting with the content before class in order to prepare, the collaborative activities to be completed while together, and any follow up activities including submissions or other assessable activities and documents.

Lesson plans should indicate the relevance of activities to the larger syllabus design including how activities are linked to each other, to the assessments, and to the outcomes of the subject and the course. The Curriculum Advisors are well prepared to offer assistance in the overall planning, or in the actual design of activities, and use of technology to support those activities.

Learning activities

The weekly sessions are intended to be collaborative in nature. This is the chance for students to meet with peers to discuss, check their understanding and otherwise interact with the content and each other to socially construct new ideas around that content.

One key to engagement is ensuring that students understand the point of any activity. As noted, each activity should be mapped to the larger syllabus and curriculum. Another key to engagement is ensuring that students know what to do. Each activity should be planned to the degree that the students can follow the directions and reach the same outcome.

Embedding course learning outcomes in learning activities

Course learning outcomes should be embedded in both learning activities and assessment. Subject Coordinators must ensure that students are provided with appropriate learning, teaching and assessment experiences that will enable them to develop and demonstrate that they have achieved the subject learning outcomes that contribute to the achievement of course learning outcomes. See also Assurance of Learning (AoL)

Textbooks

Reviewing the textbook

By keeping in contact with publishers, the Subject Coordinator will become aware of updates or new texts as they become available. A suggestion is to maintain a table of pros and cons of texts examined during the teaching session so that it can be referred to as necessary.

Approval to change a textbook requires agreement from the Deputy Dean, Director, Academic Program and other academics teaching the subject. This ensures there is no perceived conflict of interest, such as when, for example, the Subject Coordinator is co-author of a proposed text.

Booktopia

Students can search for and purchase textbooks by subject using the textbook frontend of Booktopia. Booktopia receives information about textbooks from the subject templates.

vUWS (learning management system)

vUWS (pronounced ‘views’) is the University’s Blackboard based learning management system. All subjects have a presence on vUWS where students can access subject documents and other learning materials and participate in online activities and assessment.

Setting up vUWS

Although the Subject Coordinator is responsible for setting up and maintaining the subject’s vUWS site, advice and technical support is available from the Digital Futures team as follows: Email dft@westernsydney.edu.au

The subject’s vUWS site must be set up according to the Western Sydney e-learning basic standards and needs to be made available to students one week prior to the start of the teaching period. When setting up a subject on vUWS, do not assume students (and staff) know how to find their way around it. Include information to help them navigate, such as where to find particular documents (e.g. ‘under the X tab’).

Copyright considerations

Copyright is a legal matter governed by the Australian Copyright Act, 1968,

The previous Statutory Licences called Part VA and Part VB have been replaced by a single statutory licence provision- Section 113P and a new provision for copying material for students with a print disability.

Universities Australia in 2018 will negotiate new statutory licence agreement with the Copyright Agency (text and images) and Screenrights (broadcasts)

All staff must meet Copyright Requirements which are based on:

The Australian Copyright Act.
The University Copyright Policy (soon to be updated) https://policies.westernsydney.edu.au/document/view.current.php?id=148
Section 113P remuneration agreements with the Copyright Agency (for text and graphics) and Screenrights (for broadcasts) and their associated obligations.
Section 200AB Copyright Act, a special flexible dealing provision for using video clips and other copyright material which meets the test required.
The Commercial Music Licence (for sound recordings)
Terms of service for websites such as YouTube, Prezi, Vimeo, other external platforms and services.
Terms of licences for Creative Commons and Open Access content.
Other copyright content which may have terms and conditions of use.
The terms and conditions of use for the Library’s eResources. (ebooks and ejournal articles)

It is important to be familiar with copyright requirements if you are considering uploading third party material to vUWS and or external platforms or services such YouTube or Vimeo, designing online resources or recording lectures.

Copyright Requirements are:

To use the single copyright notice when using text and images (from print sources, internet and electronic resources) in lecture notes and other learning content) and recorded broadcasts in vUWS.
To meet the copying and communication limits in the Remuneration agreement with the Copyright Agency for using text and images (10% of a book or 1 chapter and any image from a book, internet or electronic source).
To use the Sound Recording Notice when using and sound recordings (from any source) in vUWS.
To use the Video clip Notice when using video clips from other sources but not from broadcasts.
To show the Lecture Recording Notice at the beginning of a lecture when it is being recorded by Panopto.
Notices are available at https://tinyurl.com/ycb228so
Readings for vUWS to be emailed to ReadingDirect@westernsydney.edu.au Readings Direct will create links for your Readings in a Reading List.
Best practice is to link to content on websites unless it can be downloaded and shared
When using External platforms or services such as YouTube, Vimeo it is essential to use only originally designed content and or Creative Commons or Open Access content that can be shared.
Ensure that Creative Commons content are attributed appropriately and a link to the CC Licence is provided.
To minimise the risk of copyright infringement.

Access for teaching staff

Access to the subject vUWS site is provided by entering the relevant staff or team ID number into the eLearning Designer Management Module (EDMM) within vUWS.

It is recommended that the Subject Coordinator give ‘Teaching Assistant’ access to other academics teaching the subject. This will allow them to participate in online activities such as marking online, wikis and assessment discussions.

Learning vUWS

Help with vUWS is available from:

The Digital Futures Team via dft@westernsydney.edu.au
IT Service Desk (9852 5111)
Online webinars. Register for these on the Staff Online system.

Library

The Western Sydney Library can assist Subject Coordinators in the following ways:

Academic induction: All new Subject Coordinators are encouraged to arrange an informal induction meeting with the CDMS Librarian.
Formulate reading lists for subjects. This will normally be when the learning guide is being prepared, and prior to School Academic Committee meetings when the new subject or subject template variation documentation (form D23) is being put together.
Organise student access to items on the reading list. (The Library will refer to the learning guide for this.) Liaise directly with Readings Direct Team or Librarian as above. Required readings will be placed on closed reserve and Reading and Resources list on vUWS.
Update existing reading lists with new editions.
Recommend newly published material.
Suggest resources such as videos that are relevant to course content and assessment activities.
Suggest new eBooks which may assist with teaching and blended learning.
Purchase new books and resources suggested by the Subject Coordinator.
The Library’s Academic Literacy Advisor and the CDMS Librarian can assist with support material and activities for developing academic and information literacy skills. Please see the Library’s Literacy Support page for more details about this service.

Copyright Advice about Readings

It is essential to ensure that readings scanned from print, web or electronic resources meet the copying and communication limits imposed by the remuneration agreements with the Copyright Agency:

Readings must be sent to the Library’s Reading Direct Service for processing, email: ReadingDirect@westernsydney.edu.au

These limits are:

One chapter or 10% of the total pages of a book per Unit of Study per Semester.

The limitation that only one chapter of a book can be communicated across the University and other chapters from the same book for different Subjects could not be communicated at the same time does not apply any more. This means that if Subject AB327 requires a chapter of the book The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything by Paul Vigna and ‎ Michael J. Casey, St. Martin’s Press (February 27, 2018). ISBN:9781250114570 and a Subject CD279 requires a different chapter from The Truth Machine, both chapters can be delivered online to the different Subjects at the same time.

One journal article or two or more articles from a single journal issue from print or web based journals (not journal articles).

More than 10% of a book can be copied and communicated if the book is not commercially available within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price.

This means if a book required for your Subject and is not commercially available please contact the Copyright Officer for advice and verification that the book can be copied and communicated. Email the University Copyright Officer via; f.hill@westernsydney.edu.au